Wireless is horrible

To eliminate the MacBook wireless hardware as the problem, try using your MacBook to connect to a different wireless network. Also, if you could connect the MacBook via ethernet cable to the router that might help diagnose the problem. If you hold down the Option key and click on the wireless icon in the menu bar, do the reported channel, signal strength and speed make sense?

If these suggestions don't reveal anything, then make sure that the router is updated with the latest firmware (also further information about the router may let others assist; I don't think Verizon is a manufacturer of routers).

bd

It is the OSX support for the 802.11 radio in the MacBook that is flaky. If you install Windows with boot camp, it'll probably purr like a kitten for wireless, but switch back to OSX, and you'll be lucky to hold a connection for more than 20 seconds.

This problem with MacBook Wi-FI surfaced last May of 2006 when OSX 10.4.10 was released.

If you roll back to 10.4.9, you'll probably have great connections. 10.4.11 has fixed the bug for some people. (Fixed it for me.)

The Leopard releases 10.5 and 10.5.1 are causing Wi-Fi headaches as well, particularly if you use WPA mode. Your best bet for now is to roll back to one to either 10.4.9 or 10.4.11 if you can. ...and no, it doesn't matter if you have an Apple brand Air Port Extreme Base Station. I have one, and it didn't play nicely with the MacBook either. For whatever reason, Apple just doesn't seem to be able to get a handle on stable Wi-Fi on the MacBook.

Since you know your networking... it is some sort of layer 3 issue. Your Wi-Fi radio can be receiving layer 2 frames, but if the MacBook doesn't receive any layer 3 IP packets over Wi-Fi at least every 21 seconds, Wi-Fi will lock up. Something that worked for me (but not everybody) was to run an @boot cron job that did a netstat command to get the gateway address of the Wi-Fi router, then ping the router once every 15 seconds until the machine is shut off. Doing that, pretty much cured the issue while I was waiting the almost six months until 10.4.11 came out. With 10.4.11, I was able to retire my cron job.

Bill

Based on the other reply, it appears that there are some MacBooks with flakey wireless cards. I have the same model MacBook as you do and have never experienced any problems with wireless. No version of Tiger or Leopard has been troublesome for me. If I were you, I would take it to an Apple store and demonstrate the problem to a "genius"; they may be able to help if the problem is reproducible.

By the way, what is the info from System Profiler on your Airport Card? Mine says:
Wireless Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x87)
Wireless Card Locale: USA
Wireless Card Firmware Version: 1.2.2


bd

I am having the exact same problem with my BRAND NEW MacBook. I have all of the updates installed and I still have this problem. I will look at the AirPort status in the menu bar and it will have all but one "bar/arc" and my download speeds are painfully slow. I have performed a ping (both outside my local network and to my local gateway) and I get 60% or more packet loss. If I reboot the computer, the download speeds are good but after a little while they crap out again. My wife has the 1st generation MacBook running Tiger and she has absolutely no problems whatsoever. It wasn't like this when I first got the computer and had just 10.5 installed. I don't even believe that I had the problem when I installed the 10.5.1 update. It seems to have reared its ugly head with the 10.5.2 update but I can't be 100% sure. Tonight, I plan on zapping the PRAM and running the disk repair utility but I don't feel too confident that it will help. My next step will be to head to my "local" Apple Store (about 1.5 hours away) and see what a Genius says about it.

Has anybody else had this problem? Does anybody have a grand solution that will fix this problem?

Thanks to all for reading.

Well ... so far so good with zapping the PRAM and running Disk Utility and repairing permissions. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I still would like some word from Apple as to what is going on. Even though I am, maybe, 15 feet from my wireless router, I still drop a bar/arc quite often.

Thormcse,

When you are having connection troubles, what kind of results do you get if you use Network Utility to Ping the wireless router you are connected to?

I have also had Airport connection issues with my 2.2 SR MacBook. Based on the fact that my MAC address of my Airport card is now different than it used to be, it does appear that the Airport card was replaced during a repair earlier this week. Connection seems to be more stable after wake from sleep, but it has been less than a day now.

The model of the new card is the same as the old. This is what System Profiler says for me:
Wireless Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x88)
Wireless Card Locale: USA
Wireless Card Firmware Version: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (4.170.46.3)

Based on your reports of System Profiler, and my research of the IO802family.kext system extension, when System Profiler doesn't say Broadcom, it means you have an Airport card made by Atheros.

I'm still not sure if it's a hardware or software thing. When it happens to me, if I set Network Utility to ping my wireless router for 200 pings, say, I will see some very long ping times, e.g. >200ms, sometimes >1000ms, as well as dropped packets anywhere in the range from 5% to 40%.

thormcse: your main issue with Airport is that it's slow? I think using Network Utility to ping your router and the Web sites you are trying to reach would provide good info.

An Airport card replacement may just be the thing. May have worked for me.

Good luck!

Message was edited by: jegdart98

Message was edited by: jegdart98

Well ... repairing permissions and zapping the PRAM doesn't seem to have helped.

I did notice, however, that the problem occurred after I wake my MacBook up from sleep. So, I decided to try turning the AirPort off then back on and THAT seems to be working well for me. It works until I sleep the computer again. This is not a good situation at all and I really hope that Apple is working hard on it!

I am supprised that this discussion hasn't been pulled yet by Apple like at least two others were on the subject...

I've owned my MacBook for a year now - out of which *half a year I've not been able to use the portable computer* as I intended - in cafes and at university - because of poor wireless connection or inability to connect to some routers since the infamous 10.4.10 update.

The problem is not only present in Tiger but also continues in Leopard as it is evident in the discussions forum.

Probably I wouldn't be so frustrated with the problem if it wasn't for the Apples boasting about how they machines just work. I love the truth more then anything, so the Apples cockiness just drives me crazy. I am about to visit NYC and was thinking about getting a MBP but they have same problems - I think it's just better to get Sony's VAIO and get over the problem. Microsoft is not that cocky when it comes to their software - they know it's not perfect, that's why more than 90% people use it. Of course they get frustrated using they computers - but *they don't get laughed in their faces like Apple does* - saying 'there's not known issues'.

Those who bought they Macs with 10.4.10 already installed - don't have the advantage of comparing their machines with the performance of 10.4.9 - when the wireless worked great. Many of them bought the Macs for the first time and don't even realise they got stripped down versions of portables and believe that this is just a part of experience.

I've been very happy with the performance of my MacBook until 10.4.10 came around. up until then my MacBook was the best computer I've ever owned. I've been boasting about it and encouraged my friends to use it and then to buy it. I've used my Mac to surf the net and to skype so I didn't really challenged it - but now performing those simple task is too much for *my little white plastic toy*.